Please Note: This is not a DVD/LD upscale. This release is 100% sourced from the USBD and is in no way related to any earlier attempts to restore EP16 by pwnsweet and Sephirotic.

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Episode 16 of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' is infamous for it's sudden drop in quality on recent BD releases compared to all other episodes in the series due to it's original film master being lost between 1996-2003. All official Blu-Ray releases use an SD upscale of an earlier 2003 scan of the surviving 35mm interpositive that was *telecined* and then further ITVC'd on recent releases. This has resulted in all releases since 2003 suffering from a myriad of problems including blurriness, haloing and black crush. This release attempts to fix many of these issues using the BD source.

This release features the USBD, downscaled and then re-upscaled with multiple ESRGAN models. The models have been trained to fix the various issues with the BD master, notably the strong haloing. The goal was to preserve the detail of the linework, while improving upon it and getting the source closer to the rest of Renewal. Color correction has also been applied throughout the video, using surviving references to get the upscale closer to what an actual remaster could have looked like. A grain effect has been added, being a custom one created with frames from Episode 26.
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Video by Zeurel84
Audio and Subtitles by HRSM (subs based on Dekinai release)

Special thanks to:
HRSM, Krycek7o2, Reibro, Rrobynne

MediaInfo: https://pastebin.com/raw/0GCT4AN9
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Q: What about the black crush?
A: There's nothing that can be done. The detail is gone forever and no ESRGAN magic can fix it.

Q: Why not upscale the DVD/LaserDisc then?
A: Putting aside the fact that this wouldn't be allowed on Nyaa, I have tried this to pretty good results. The main issue is the massive frame-blending present in the 1997 DVD/LD master. Ideally, one would combine the dark details from that with the main video from this release. A *merge*, if you will. I may try something with the DVD in the future, but this release is meant to be Nyaa-compliant and 100% BD sourced.

Q: Is this related to any other Eva releases?
A: No, at the moment this is my own stand-alone project.

Q: How is this different from Sephirotic's main release?
A: This uses *custom* trained AI models to re-upscale instead of whatever Avisynth script he used. A comparison with his release can be found here: https://slow.pics/c/CuFQW7kV

Q: Why is the file over 4.7GB? That's too big!
A: The size is bigger in order to preserve the added grain and minimize compression artifacts. The audio & subtitles are a GB alone.

Q: Why so many audio options?
A: The ADV 2.0 and 5.1 tracks are pretty different from each other, and including the VSI Dub doesn't hurt anyone

Q: Where can I find happiness?
A: Stop watching Evangelion for a start, maybe go outside as well.
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